Recommendations  3 min 5 books you should read during a break

Want to read during a break and do not know from where to start? Bored of making a reading list that you do not finish? Ruya team and contributors bring you five books from five countries that will embark you into a stimulating reading journey.

Travelling as understanding the self and the world 

Abdelkarim Al Shattie: Wandering in Latin America “تسكّع في أمريكا اللاتينية”. Published by Thatalsalasil, 2017.

Reviewed by Huda Ayedh Originally entitled in Arabic “تسكّع في أمريكا اللاتينية”, Wandering in Latin America is based on the author's personal experience, as he decides to embark on an exploratory journey, “enchanted” by Latin America. During his journey, he travelled between remote Argentina, Venezuela, which he described as dangerous, colourful Mexico, and complex Cuba, conveying to the reader his observations and experiences with the people and cultures of these countries in a sincere and contemplative style.

The book contains profound reflections on human, social, and economic issues. Through his experiences in countries such as Venezuela and Cuba, the author highlights the complex relationship between poverty and politics, and the fragility of social justice, when separated from the real economy. He discusses how changing the political system is not enough to achieve prosperity unless there is a real and sustainable economic project. He also addresses the impact of colonialism, cultural identity, and stereotypes of Arabs in Latin American societies. He also highlights his appreciation for individual initiatives and small projects as drivers of real development, especially in Mexico, where he observed how the popular economy gives individuals dignity. On a personal level, the book delves into the idea of travel as a means of self-understanding and dismantling preconceived notions. The author sees travel not as an escape but as an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the world around him, and that real change begins from within, not from without.

I chose this book because I was looking for an unconventional travel experience, one that recounts the journey not as tourist destinations, but as an internal journey that raises questions about identity, belonging, and the other. I was first drawn to the title, then I discovered that the author not only conveys what he saw, but also writes honestly about what he felt, what aroused his curiosity or disappointed him. I am also interested in understanding societies from their everyday and simple perspectives, and that is exactly what I found in this work.
 

The policeman as a human

Fawzi Zbeidyan: Memoirs of a Lebanese Policeman "مذكرات شرطي لبناني". Published by Dar Al Mutawaset, 2024.

Reviewed by Firas Hamiye In his novel "Memoirs of a Lebanese Policeman," Fawzi Zbeidyan offers a hybrid narrative that blends autobiography with philosophical reflection, drawing on his unique experience within the Internal Security Forces. The novel is not merely a documentation of his years of service, but an exploration of individual identity under an authoritarian system. The policeman is not a symbol of discipline but a human being hiding behind a military uniform as a social mask, whose spirit resists, observes, and writes. The memoir thus becomes a dual text: external, documenting the profession, and internal, delving into the psychological rupture experienced by an individual trapped between institutional authority and self-rejection.

Through this novel, Zbeidyan takes a dual reflective stance: he chronicles police work in a raw, colloquial language while simultaneously using writing as a tool to deconstruct power and Lebanese society. This blend of the personal and political, of coarse language and cultural references, transforms the memoir into a literary testimony of a fractured Lebanese era where the state is divided by sects and society is reduced to fragile identities. The novel is not only an autobiography but a living document of a country eroding from within.

The novel sheds light on the Lebanese reality from inside the Internal Security Forces, showing how sectarianism is not just a social phenomenon but the very foundation of the functioning of official institutions in Lebanon. Zbeidyan describes Lebanon as a "country on the edge," where political and sectarian forces control institutions, suppress freedoms, and impose their dominance over society, leaving people living in constant fear and oppression. The novel reflects the intertwining of politics and sectarianism within state apparatuses and offers a darkly comic portrayal of the internal erosion Lebanon experienced, especially during the Syrian occupation, revealing a tragicomic perspective on the situations and challenges he witnessed.
 

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect "اثر الفراشة". Developed by Adeela, 2025.

Reviewed by Mawadda Tarig, Social Media Editor of RUYA Are you a proponent of using arts for social change or do you believe in creating art solely for the sake of art?

No matter which you choose, it doesn’t deny the fact that, as far as history can tell, art has been used to convey political, social, or religious messages and has always been a tool to shape public perception and advocate for various societal causes. From ancient Egypt to medieval and renaissance Europe, to the French revolution, Mexican muralism, the Black Arts Movement in the US and Palestinian art and in various forms from music, and songs, to murals, paintings and graffiti to literature and prose.
In the wake of the Arab spring, and the attempted surveillance and censoring, many social movements in the Arab region have found arts to be a meaningful and effective tool to spread their messaging and advocate for their causes. This book ties in the theoretical background of artivisim with real life examples from artists from Sudan using different mediums to get their messages across. It’s an interactive, informative and easy read. The e-book is available online and can be retrieved from here.
 

An intergenerational saga

Akli Tadjer: De ruines et de gloire. Published by Casbeh Editions, 2014.

Reviewed by Noureddine Bessadi Three years after "D’amour et de guerre" and two years after "D’audace et de liberté," Akli Tadjer concludes his Algerian trilogy with "De ruines et de gloire." This novel delves into the Algerian War and its tragic consequences. Following the Evian Accords in 1962, Adam El Hachemi Aït Amar and his father return to Algeria to rebuild their lives in a country torn apart by violence.

Adam, a lawyer trained in France and a defender of independence, is tasked with a delicate case: defending Émilienne Postorino, a member of the OAS and a supporter of French Algeria, which challenges his principles. Meanwhile, his father returns to his native village, marked by painful memories and the loss of his love, Zina, Adam's mother.

The novel juxtaposes the experiences of two generations: the younger one, which must decide the country's future, and the older one, which must confront its ghosts. "De ruines et de gloire" is an ambitious historical saga that concludes a poignant trilogy and serves as a tribute to Algeria, a country still in the process of healing.

I recommend this novel because it vividly portrays the ongoing division within Algerian society regarding the War of National Liberation, a dark period in the country's recent history. Even after more than 60 years of independence, there remains a significant need for continued reflection and remembrance.
 

Tracing her footsteps

Iman Mersal: In the footsteps of Enayat al-Zayyat "في اثر عنايات الزيات". Published by Al Kotob Khan, 2019.
Iman Mersal: Traces of Enayat. Published by And Other Stories, 2023 (English Translation).

Reviewed by Muhammed Salem, Assistant Editor of RUYA Imagine living in the shoes of someone from fifty years ago. You walk the streets they crossed—though the buildings and names have changed—trying to picture their daily life and the despair that led them to end it. In an unconventional work, poet and scholar Iman Mersal becomes fascinated by a novel by anonymous 1990s writer Enayat al-Zayyat. Over years, Mersal returns to her story until, in late 2014, she decides to follow her "trace." Blending investigation, history, biography, and personal reflections on womanhood and motherhood, the book offers a panoramic view of Egypt’s post-1952 cultural scene.Traces of Enayat is no orthodox biography. Mersal clarifies early on that she isn’t reconstructing Enayat’s life but piecing together a puzzle—using social, political, legal, and psychological insights to understand her demise.

In the early 1950s, Enayat, a studious student at the Deutsche Schule in Dokki, shares a classroom with a girl called Paula Shafik, later becoming Nadia Lutfi, a notorious star of Egyptian cinema. Both dream of cultured, free lives but soon marry and become mothers, abandoning their studies. Nadia ascends to fame, while Enayat’s troubled marriage ends in divorce and a bitter custody battle. Rebuilding her life, Enayat works at the German Archaeological Institute while writing a second novel (after submitting her first, Love and Silence, for publication—it would be published posthumously). Mersal questions whether the male-dominated literary world stifled Enayat’s talent, as her work explored vulnerability and depression, themes then unfamiliar to Arabic readers. Before her suicide, Enayat’s manuscript is rejected, and her husband wins custody of their son, using her depression medical report as proof of her unfit motherhood.

Despite its darkness, this work revisits a pivotal era in Egypt’s history—the gap between the 1952 regime’s promises and the harsh realities for women like Enayat, whose sensitivity and talent were erased, only to resurface decades later.

August 2025